Let’s Play Parse the President!

Four years ago today coalition forces launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to remove Saddam Hussein from power. They did so to eliminate the threat his regime posed to the Middle East and to the world.

His use of the terms “coalition forces” and “they” are an attempt to deflect criticism from himself and his administration — they did it; it was a coalition, not just Americans.

Today, the world is rid of Saddam Hussein. And a tyrant has been held to account — for his crimes — by his own people.

Wonder when Bush’s own people will hold him to account?

Nearly 12 million Iraqis have voted in free elections, under a democratic constitution that they wrote for themselves. And their democratic leaders are now working to build a free society that upholds the rule of law, that respects the rights of its people, that provides them security and is an ally in the war on terror.

Note his use of the word “democratic.” In the conservative Republican lexicon, “democratic” is good. That’s why they refer to the Democratic Party as “Democrat Party.”

So with our help, Iraq’s government is carrying out an aggressive plan to secure Baghdad. And we’re continuing to train the Iraqi security forces so that they ultimately take full responsibility for the security of their own people.

This paragraph continues the semantic trend of the White House in an attempt to shift blame and responsibility to the Iraqis. This makes it sound as if everything that’s happened is the Iraqi’s fault and responsibility, and the American troops are there to “help out.”

I want to stress that this operation is still in the early stages; still in the beginning stages. Fewer than half of the troop reinforcements we are sending have arrived in Baghdad.

“After four years of disaster, I am buying myself more time by saying that things are in the ‘early stages.'”

The new strategy will need more time to take effect. And there will be good days and there will be bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds.

Things are going to continue to be horrific but don’t criticize because I already warned you.

Last month, Iraq’s Council of Ministers approved a law that would share oil revenues among Iraqi people. The Iraqi legislature passed a $41 billion budget that includes $10 billion for reconstruction and capital improvements.

See? They are democratic. They’re spending huge sums of money. And most of it will go to Halliburton — no longer an American company, unfortunately.

As Iraqis work to keep their commitments, we have important commitments of our own. Members of Congress are now considering an emergency war spending bill. They have a responsibility to ensure that this bill provides the funds and the flexibility that our troops need to accomplish their mission. They have a responsibility to pass a clean bill that does not use funding for our troops as leverage to get special interest spending for their districts. And they have a responsibility to get this bill to my desk without strings and without delay.

“Because if they don’t, they’re letting the terrorists win.”

It could be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home. That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating. If American forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure, a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country. In time, this violence could engulf the region.

“I created a huge hornet’s nest, so don’t smack it with a stick.”

The terrorists could emerge from the chaos with a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they had in Afghanistan, which they used to plan the attacks of September 11, 2001. For the safety of the American people, we cannot allow this to happen.

I had a sudden flash when he said this: the entire Congress locked up in the Capitol, with George Bush standing outside the door doing an impression of the old phantom in “Poltergeist II”: “You’re all gonna DIE in there!! They’re gonna send planes to kill you! Only I can save you!”
Meanwhile, with one sentence, he managed to make it seem like he liberated and cleaned out Afghanistan… when in fact, it is now deteriorating into a worse situation than when he first sent troops in.

The United States military is the most capable and courageous fighting force in the world. And whatever our differences in Washington, our troops and their families deserve the appreciation and the support of our entire nation.

“If you are against me, you are against our troops and their families. Besides, they’re happy over there in Iraq. At least mold and cockroaches don’t infest their barracks in the middle of the desert.”

Thank you.

No, thank you.

To sum up: “Like I said many times before in the last four years, we’re just at the beginning of all this and things will get worse before it gets better. Stay the course. Thanks.”